As healthcare continues to evolve, nurses are increasingly stepping into roles that require a deep understanding of leadership, policy, and advocacy. Capella University’s NURS FPX 4050 course—Coordinating Patient-Centered Care—is designed to prepare nurses for these expanded responsibilities. Two of the most impactful assignments in this course are NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 1 and NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 2, which explore how nurses can drive systemic change and improve patient outcomes through leadership and policy engagement.
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 1: Addressing a Healthcare Problem Through Policy
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 1 focuses on identifying a significant healthcare issue and analyzing how it is influenced by existing health policies. Students are tasked with selecting a problem—such as healthcare access disparities, mental health stigma, or chronic disease management—and exploring the policy landscape surrounding it.
The goal is to assess how local, state, or federal policies impact the issue and to evaluate whether these policies help or hinder effective care delivery. Students must also propose changes or improvements that align with ethical principles and promote better outcomes.
By completing NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 1, nursing students begin to understand their power as advocates. It’s not only about caring for patients at the bedside—it’s also about influencing systems and policies that shape healthcare on a broader scale. This assessment highlights how nurses can use their clinical insight to influence legislation and organizational practices for the better.
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 2: Leadership in Patient-Centered Care
Building upon the policy analysis in the first assignment, NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 2 focuses on nursing leadership. Specifically, it challenges students to demonstrate how effective leadership supports patient-centered care and enhances interprofessional collaboration.
In this assessment, students often reflect on a clinical scenario or organizational setting and evaluate how leadership styles, communication strategies, and team dynamics influence care coordination. They’re expected to explore evidence-based practices, leadership theories, and strategies to improve collaboration and efficiency.
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 2 emphasizes that leadership isn’t confined to formal titles—it’s a mindset. Nurses, regardless of their roles, can take the lead in fostering respectful environments, promoting accountability, and ensuring patients remain at the center of all decisions.
Linking Assessment 1 and Assessment 2
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 1 and NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 2 are deeply interconnected. The first assessment explores the external forces—policies and regulations—that shape patient care, while the second focuses on the internal dynamics—leadership and collaboration—that influence how care is delivered.
Together, they create a complete picture of the modern nurse’s role as both a policy-aware advocate and an on-the-ground leader. These assessments reinforce the idea that effective nursing requires both systemic awareness and interpersonal skill.
Final Thoughts
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 1 and NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 2 provide nursing students with valuable insight into the roles of policy and leadership in delivering high-quality, coordinated, patient-centered care. They push students to think critically, act ethically, and lead confidently—preparing them to be the kind of professionals who don’t just adapt to change but help create it.
By mastering these assessments, students begin their transformation from skilled caregivers into empowered leaders and advocates—ready to influence health outcomes not just at the bedside, but throughout the healthcare system.
